Xavier Manlaude
Xavier Manlaude is a Breton/Reachman Mercenary. A former Forsworn with a bloody past, Xavier has come to be known as one of the most dangerous men in all of Tamriel, thanks to his skill in assassination and swordfighting. He has worked for numerous noblemen and royal figures with great success, earning himself the nickname of "Blade" in the criminal underworld. Xavier was one of the few people responsible for spearheading the Nightloom Riots in 4E 202 Biography Born as Rahelon Valtel, Xavier was born to one of Madanach's most esteemed lieutenants, Brucaran Valtel. When the Reachmen took over Markarth and established their own kingdom, the Valtel family became one of the most prominent names in the kingdom. Their time at the top was very short, as the subsequent invasion of Ulfric Stormcloak's Militia sent the family and the rest of the Reachmen back into the hills to plot their revenge. It was here that Brucaran was enveloped in a horrendous anger that would destroy the Valtel family. The death of his wife and numerous children would be the results of his plots to destroy the Nordic reign in Markarth. His final act of defiance was taking his own 18 year old son and forcefully having him made into a vicious, blood-thirsty Briarheart. When Rahelon was returned to the living, he too found himself consumed by a blind rage that seemed insatiable. He slaughtered his father and cut his way through a massive amount of Forsworn soldiers in retaliation for the unholy ritual that they had forced him to take part of. Once the anger had subsided, a broken Rahelon wandered through the lands of Skyrim, hiding in the forests and preying upon bandits and travelers. The fractured remains of Rahelon were put back together when he was found by the Companions. In 4E 189, the group found Rahelon diseased and half-starved, living in the cellar of one of Whiterun's Farms. They took him in and healed him, physically and mentally. Through meditation and therapy, Rahelon was returned to sanity and found peace within himself, coming to terms with what his father had made him become. He left the Companions shortly after, heading North for High Rock. There he became a freelance mercenary, and changed his name to Xavier Manlaude. He became a favorite of the High Rock nobility, thanks to his impressive skills with a sword and the ability to complete every task assigned. His jobs were mostly for killing off Bandit Leaders, warlords, corrupt Nobles, and so on. He cleaned up the streets of High Rock, for the right price. In the next 7 years on the job, Xavier made a very good living for himself and has assembled a nice fortune that he keeps in his house on the shores of Daggerfall. He has worked for the King of High Rock and Skyrim on more than one occasion, and has been a massive help to Markarth Jarls in holding back the Reachmen. In 4E 202, However, his exploits were interrupted when he was hired to kill a Thalmor Ambassador, who was a former soldier that led many bloody campaigns in Hammerfell during the great war. The mission was cut short when he came face to face with the mysterious Nightingale. He was incapacitated, and left for the Ambassador to take. He was placed on a boat and transported to the mythical prison island, Nightloom... Personality Prior to mercenary life, Xavier had an unhinged and rage-filled personality. He was as savage as any Forsworn, and resented just about every form of life. The most minor annoyance would be enough to set off the Breton, and his rage would not subside until he was drenched in blood and drained of stamina. After his stint with the Companions, however, Xavier became a wiser, more reserved figure. He is calm, collected, and focused in battle, usually meditating in his free time. As a result, however, he has become cold and condemnatory towards people. He's quick to point out the flaws and short-comings of others, using them to constantly criticize people and make them out to be fools. Though he has changed to be much more peaceful, the bitterness and anger that drove him into the depths of madness in the Reach still exist within Xavier, but they are within his grasp instead of the other way around. Xavier demands the respect of those around him, though it is very hard to earn his respect. Xavier champions honor and dignity above all, and has a great disdain for cheats, crooks, bull-heads, and so on. In other words, Xavier does not get along with anyone that has a differing personality or a different world view. Anyone who thinks differently tends to be looked down upon by the Breton mercenary. Relationships Varun Varun and Xavier constantly butt heads during the events of Nightloom. Xavier berates the 7-Foot Enforcer due to his brash nature and reckless approaches to all situations. Most of Xavier's blame for the delays to the groups progress falls upon the shoulders of Varun, for his immediate attempts to make enemies out of everyone on the island. Despite this, Xavier has a small fledgling of sympathy for Varun, as he shares a similar struggle of moving away from a horrid past. Eselde Xavier holds a tremendous amount of respect for Eselde during Nightloom, and even forms a romantic relationship with the vampire. Unlike the others in the groups, she has proven herself to be a fierce warrior with a calculating approach to situations and a well-tempered attitude with a refined taste in weapons and drink. He also admires her ability to control her vampiric bloodlust without much effort. Though he finds her approaches unorthodox to the point of lunacy, he cannot argue with the results. He considers her to be his equal, and is one of the very few people he has loved. Powers and Abilities Xavier is extremely well-rounded when it comes to fighting. Though he is most lethal with short swords and daggers, he is no stranger to two-handed weapons and shields. Whatever weapon Xavier can get his hands on, the veteran mercenary can put it to good use. He's also an expert at utilizing heavy and medium armors. The mercenary also possesses a sharp tongue and a quick wit, and can diffuse many situations with ease if he wishes to. However, most of the time he will be antagonizing and coaxing a foolish enemy into making a mistake so that he can capitalize on it. The rage that Xavier has managed to contain has become somewhat of a plus for him in battle. He possesses a Berserker Rage similar to Orcs that allow him to cleave through hordes of enemies quickly. His status of a Briarheart makes him partially undead, and thus poisons and disease have a drastically smaller effect on him than most. On top of that, his improved senses allow for him to hear people sneaking up on him, regardless of if they're invisible or using muffle. He's also quite skilled at tracking prey, animal or otherwise. Story Appearances: - Nightloom Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Reachmen Category:Forsworn Category:Companions Category:Nightloom Category:Songs of Legends Category:Mercenaries Category:Golden Ash Yam Victors